Minneapolis, MN -- Saturday, North Central University (NCU) women's basketball returned to Clark-Danielson Gymnasium to kick off the new year with a non-conference matchup with the Alverno College (AC) Inferno. In past meetings, North Central has seemingly had Alverno's number, defeating the Inferno by double digits the last three seasons. Today, the Rams picked up their first win of the season defeating Alverno by a final score of 68-58. Senior Kaitlyn VanderPloeg led NCU with 17 points, 12 rebounds, and 2 blocks. 

In the first quarter, North Central had a strong offensive effort, putting up a season-high 27 points to open things up. Kaitlyn VanderPloeg got things rolling for the Rams, with a pair of paint finished and a big-time block on the other end. Junior Jackie Lindsay got hot from deep, splashing two three-pointers on back-to-back possessions. McKenzie Latzke also dropped a three as the Rams went on an 11-0 run. Brycelyn Brewster carried North Central down the stretch, scoring 7 points off of fast break layups and free throws. NCU cruised to a dominating 27-5 lead after the first quarter.

After the first-quarter wake-up call, Alverno competed with the Rams in the second quarter. Midway through the second, the Inferno went on a 10-0 run to cut the deficit to 14 points. However, strong play from Latzke and VanderPloeg would keep Alverno at bay as the Rams increased their lead to 20 before halftime. NCU held a 43-23 lead heading into the break. 

However, Alverno returned from halftime with a new energy that caught North Central off guard. Despite the Rams' best efforts, the Inferno made a 19-point comeback in the third quarter. Sloppy offensive execution led to 12 NCU turnovers that the Inferno were able to capitalize on. North Central held on to a narrow 51-45 lead going into the fourth.

Determined to take the lead, Alverno scored 6 straight points to tie the game with 7:54 left to play. Timely buckets from Kaitlyn VanderPloeg, Brycelyn Brewster, and McKenzie Latzke would give NCU the slight edge as the final quarter went on. However, the Inferno made things interesting as they were able to make it a 2-point game with 3:36 remaining in the game. A fast break layup from Latzke and two dagger threes from Savi Rael would all but seal this one as the Rams picked up the 68-58 win over Alverno College. 
 

Top Performers:

• Kaitlyn VanderPloeg: 17 points, 12 rebounds, and 2 blocks
• McKenzie Latzke: 11 points, 5 assists, and 3 rebounds
• Brycelyn Brewster: 9 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 assists

Looking Ahead:

Up next, the Rams will enter Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) play as they travel to Superior, WI to take on the UW-Superior Yellowjackets on Wednesday, January 8th, starting at 7:15 PM. 

All fans are encouraged to tune into the official Rams Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter (X) pages for updates on women's basketball and all things NCU Athletics.